75 Years Later, It’s Clear Truman Was Right To Drop The Atomic Bomb

[Beetlegeuse]

Sorry to split hairs but Truman didn't "drop the atomic bomb," FDR did. From beyond the grave. Truman didn't order the bombing, he just didn't interfere with the orders Roosevelt already had put in place before he died. FDR disliked/distrusted Truman enough not to let him in on the Manhattan Project. Truman knew nothing about it until after FDR was dead and he was sworn in as POTUS.

75 Years Later, It’s Clear Truman Was Right To Drop The Atomic Bomb

Long article, good read. A couple of key excerpts:

... Dropping the Atomic Bombs Saved Millions of Lives

Make no mistake, however: had the war continued into late August and beyond, no one would have suffered more than the Japanese people. Most ominous of all was the conclusion of a report compiled by Pentagon planners in July 1945. In addition to the report’s projected 400,000 to 800,000 American dead and 1.7 to 4 million casualties was that at least 5 to 10 million Japanese citizens and soldiers would be killed.

Before they saw the destructive power of American atomic weaponry, leading figures within Imperial Japan’s military leadership — including Vice Chief of the Naval General Staff Onishi Tikijiro and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Umeza Yoshijiro — privately considered “sacrificing” 20 million Japanese civilians in defense of the Home Islands. Fortunately for millions of Japanese and Americans, the terrible scenario of Operation Downfall never happened....

... Within the harsh confines of wartime, perfectly noble options exist only in the realm of fantasy. War typically offers awful alternatives and tragic trade-offs that, sadly, often require weighing the most precious thing on earth: human lives. The final major events of World War II remind us that in global conflicts, obvious decisions are few, bloodless victories are rare, and wars must be waged to secure peace as quickly as possible....

[Beetlegeuse]

Japan’s Abe renews calls to abolish atomic weapons at Hiroshima ceremony

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe renewed calls to abolish atomic weapons and warned of a worsening global security situation on the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, at a ceremony scaled back due to the coronavirus.




Japan would be better off if he focused on abolishing sneak attacks against the United States.